The love that media pundits, affiliates and a large cross section of fans have for Tom Brady has reached the levels of idol worship. No doubt he deserves praise.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner is the most accomplished quarterback to ever touch the gridiron and his legend and celebrity has been fueled by the coverage he receives. Being married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen doesn’t hurt the perception of a fairytale lifestyle either.
Last week Brady signed the biggest deal in television broadcasting history, (10 years, $375 million) to be the color analyst for Fox Sports upon retirement.
But there are some who believe he receives too much praise. One of those people is Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who believes that the media hype and adulation heaped upon Brady just for showing up at Tampa Bay Buccaneers voluntary camp is over the top.
Back to work. pic.twitter.com/bjMIfiUtPE
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 9, 2022
“He was always there because he had to be there for offseason conditioning,” Sharpe said. “So all he did was roll over into it. Stop trying to give him so much credit.”
The vocal Sharpe wasn’t done.
“Everyone is motivated. The Rams are motivated to repeat. Patrick Mahomes is motivated to erase what happened in the championship game. Joe Burrow is motivated to get back. … Tom Brady is not the only one who’s motivated. For you and others to make like Tom Brady is the only one that cares about football.”
Brady is always motivated, and that’s a huge reason he’s had the success he’s had over his 23-year career. It’s not a trait that’s unique to him. All of the greats push themselves to maintain a certain standard of leadership and those duties often require doing the dirty work to set the tone for the less heralded players.
Excited, but a lot of unfinished business on the field with the @Buccaneers #LFG https://t.co/FwKlQp02Hi
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 10, 2022
Sharpe Isn’t The First To Say Stop Giving Brady So Much Credit
It’s no secret that former Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and Tom Brady did not have the best relationship. From the looks of things, it was more about a business and getting the job done than a real relationship. Whatever it was worked, because the Buccaneers won a Super Bowl and were 40 seconds away from taking the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams to overtime in a playoff game they trailed 27-3.
Brady’s 44-day retirement and his subsequent return is rumored to have played a role in Arians stepping down and into a front office role. With defensive coordinator Todd Bowles now manning the ship, Arians says he did it so one of his guys would get an opportunity to succeed with a ready-to-win roster. And he also vehemently denied any rift with Brady.
But Arians, never one to hold his tongue, seemed to get in a parting shot on his former signal caller. In an interview discussing all things Buccaneers, Arians attempted to knock Brady while giving praise to offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
“I get credit and Brady gets way too much credit for what Byron does with our offense.”
While Tom played a vital role in the Bucs’ resurrection, Leftwich is the mastermind behind the scheme that combined the quick strike West Coast attack that Brady loves with a downfield passing attack that is the staple of the Bucs offense.
Bucs Will Be Super Bowl Contenders: Not Just Because Of Brady
The Buccaneers return the bulk of Brady’s supporting cast from 2021, including running back Leonard Fournette and wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They also added speedy pass catcher Russell Gage (Falcons), and Rob Gronkowski hasn’t decided if he’ll play again this season, but it’s a good bet that if Tom Brady comes calling Gronk will suit up again. Also, on defense they return linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, plus edge rushers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
So when they say Brady has a plethora of talent, he really does. And we have to accept the fact that the hype is real and anything Brady accomplishes at this point is icing on the cake.
